Rampaging female monkey bites 13 in Gorai

Some of the victims of the monkey that were bitten

Over the last three days, a female monkey had wreaked havoc in the Dongripada area of Gorai, attacking as many as 13 people before she was finally tranquilised by the leopard rescue team from Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) on Monday evening and taken to the park.

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Sustained attacks
"The attacks against the residents of Dongripada, a forest patch, began on Saturday. The monkey appeared to be extremely aggressive and allegedly bit quite a few people in the area," said Ankit Vyas, a volunteer from the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB).

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The female monkey appeared to be aggressive and was tranquilised

"On the first day, she reportedly attacked one person, following it up on the second day by biting seven more. The Gorai police was approached but it wasn't followed up. Then on Monday, it attacked yet another three people. It was then that villagers from the area, scared and upset that children were in harm's way, informed the forest department about the menace, warning them that if it does not something immediately, they would take corrective measures of their own accord," added Vyas.

Rescue team swooped in
The Mumbai Territorial Range team of Thane reached the spot immediately, but considering the mood of the monkey and the mob of villagers gathering to catch it, the leopard rescue team was called in to tranquilise and calm the monkey.

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Confirming it, SGNP veterinary officer, Dr Shailesh Pethe, said, "We had gone to Gorai with our rescue team who has expertise in rescuing wild animals. In the evening at around 4.30-5 pm, the monkey was tranquilised and brought to the park where it underwent a medical examination. The monkey did not have any injuries and was completely fit, so it was released into its natural habitat."